Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Big Game Tonight

Well, maybe not THIS big.

In the pre-season nobody predicted the ALCD title could be won by Minnesota or Chicago. Back then it was all Detroit and Cleveland. Some predicted that Minnesota could be a dark horse but few thought Chicago had a chance.

Early on when the Sox surprised many by earning first place in the division I heard Ozzie claim in a radio interview that the ALC championship would come down to the final series. I can't prove it, Al, so just trust me. He said it.

I have remained quiet about the Sox here on the LITGM blog. Why jinx it? My feeling all along has been that the Sox were not that good this year but the division was weakened by early season injuries to key players in Cleveland and Detroit. Still, I watched a lot of games. Some were great and others embarrassing, like most games against Kansas City. The results during the last two weeks of the season proved my feelings were correct. Just by playing and potentially winning this game tonight, the Sox have done far better than anyone gave them credit for myself included. Hell, after losing Contreras, Crede and the "phenom" aka Quentin how anyone could predict a post-season for the Sox had to be delusional as any drunken, die-hard, frat-boy Cubbie fan urinating in public outside a bar on Sheffield St singing "GO CUBS GO". BTW, isn't that the most insipid team song ever?

So here we are. Last night could have been the end of a long ’08 Sox season in a special add-on game and the Sox blew away Detroit and Freddy Garcia. Freddy? The pitcher who won the final game of the 2005 World Series against Houston? Yep, THAT Freddie.

Tonight the Sox play the Twins in a winner-take-all game for the ALDS. How it came to this I have no idea and I really don’t care. All that counts is that they have a 50-50 chance and that works for me.

I watched the game yesterday and will be watching again tonight. So will John Kass, Chicago Tribune opinion columnist who is also a true White Sox fan. His column today describes better than I ever could about being a Sox fan and how this past season played out. It's a good one.

If the Sox win their division it will be much more than satisfying to me. If they proceed to the ALCS or the WS, hey! Great! Who knew? Sox fans are always cautiously optimistic. It helps that the 2005 hangover is still with us especially in the wake of a successful ’08 Cub season.

Now, I couldn’t finish this essay without wishing the Cubs well. I sure hope they win at least one game in their NLDC series with the Dodgers. Who will be the goat this time, HUH? Will it be a player, some poor fan or some dumb animal's ghost?

All season long the local media and the delusional Cub fans have had the 2008 World Series championship locked up. They do have a good team, possibly the best Cub team in years. Like 100 years.

Do I wish the Cubs well? Absolutely not. No way, no how. No freaking way! It is my hope that the Cubs gag against the Dodgers early, bigtime! What goes around comes around. Cub fans were more than obnoxious to me in 2005. Screw you all.

Last week a misguided Mayor Daley requested that bars close alcohol sales after the seventh-inning of a possible Cub post-season championship. This is typical Chicago government intrusion on the private lives of citizens and small businesses. Comrade Daley actually had the nerve to claim the bars had already made enough money. He would do a lot better to place the city under a suicide watch. For the "greater good". Cub fans will no doubt die of mass alcohol poisoning win or lose.

Here is a t-shirt I have taken the liberty of designing. It should sell like nickel-beers around Comiskey Park next season. I am taking orders.